According to a report by Statistics Canada between April to June of 2022, 2.8 million Canadians travelling domestically took part in some form of bird viewing activities. In the Robson Valley, birdwatching has been popular with the locals for decades.

​

McBride resident Elsie Stanley has been active in the birdwatching community. She was introduced to “bird watching” at 18 and it became a life-long interest. In 1992 Elsie and her daughter, Heather, were hired by a Columbia Trust research team to identify birds from the Alberta border to Albreda, and all the way to the West Twin. They would meet their leader at 3:15 every morning, then spend the next 8 hours travelling through the valley and along logging roads, listening for bird calls, and writing down everything they heard. After their shift was over at 11 am, they would spend time listening to cassette tapes of bird calls as a way to expand their knowledge of birds. They gained the ability to identify birds solely by sound.

​

Whether it’s road trips through the province with her friends, counting every bird they see or hear, or the annual Christmas Bird Count, Elsie continues to birdwatch. Today, she sends out emails on a regular basis to local birdwatchers in McBride and the surrounding area. In Elsie’s own words: “All you need is a book, binoculars, and an interest.” Birdwatching has continued to be a hobby for many local residents. The most popular spot for birding is Horseshoe Lake, a sanctuary where you can see a variety of birds, including Canadian Geese, warblers, and song sparrows, among many others.

There are plenty of other places around McBride and the surrounding area where one can birdwatch, including:

- Dominion Creek trail

- Koeneman Park

- Mount Lucille

- Bell Mountain

- McBride Peak

 

The Robson Valley is home to a wide variety of bird species – loons, ducks,

woodpeckers, and shrikes, just to name a few. The list is incredibly long, and has changed over the years, but one thing remains certain: birds can be spotted anywhere across the Robson Valley.

​

One bird species that has caught the attention of many is the hummingbird. Two types of hummingbirds have been spotted repeatedly around the area, the calliope hummingbird and the rufous hummingbird. The rufous hummingbird is more populous in the area and can be spotted just about anywhere.

​

Dunster resident Curtis Culp had been a hummingbird enthusiast for years before deciding to share his knowledge. After being approached by former mayor, Lorranne Martin, Curtis spent a year working on his book “Hummingbirds of the Robson Valley,” where he details his knowledge of rufous hummingbirds. Curtis was a certified hummingbird bander for 10 years. He would catch birds around his home in Dunster and research them, learning new things about migration patterns, behaviour, and ecology.

Though Curtis may be the author of his book, “Hummingbirds of the Robson Valley” had funding from the Robson Valley Arts and Culture Council and the McBride Community Foundation. Abi Ward, Director of the McBride and District Public Library, helped with editing and pre-press support, while Kerry Hall, Curtis’ daughter, helped with editing the initial drafts of the book.

​

Local riding coach and horse and dog trainer Birgit Stutz, owner of Falling Star Ranch, also took a liking to hummingbirds. Originating from Switzerland, Birgit encountered hummingbirds for the first time while working on a guest ranch outside of Hinton, Alberta in 1993.

​

After moving to Dunster in 2001, she befriended Curtis and became fascinated with his knowledge and banding of hummingbirds. Being inspired, she began to partake in feeding them at her farm. She would often ask Curtis for advice and was eager to learn more about some of the tiniest birds in the world. She learned that mixing 4 parts of water to 1 part of sugar was the best ratio for feeding hummingbirds, but the ratio could be as strong as 3 parts of water to 1 part of sugar in early spring when the days are still cold or on a rainy, cool summer day. She advised against feeding the store bought “nectar”.

​

Over the years, the hummingbird population at Falling Star Ranch began to grow.

2023 was a record year when Birgit and her husband Marc were feeding between 3000 and 5000 hummingbirds. At the height of the hummingbird season, a pot of sugar water was always boiling on the stove top. Feeding the hungry birds was a full-time job.

“We were going through 10 kg’s of sugar every 4 days,” she said. “My husband and I always joke that during hummingbird season, you don’t get any sugar for your coffee or tea, it all goes to the hummingbirds.”

​

Birgit loves how intelligent these little birds are, having the ability to recognize faces. They usually come back to the same feeder every year, and Birgit recalls that Curtis had some birds come back to his feeders several years in a row.

​

Birds are essential to the ecosystem, they contribute to pollination, seed distribution, and insect control. Without them, our ecosystems would not thrive. Environmental degradation has been a major factor in loss of bird habitat, food shortages, and changes in migration patterns. This is disrupting the population of various species of birds. Making changes to your everyday life such as planting plants that are native to your area, getting involved in participatory science projects, and setting up bird feeders are just a few of the many ways that you can help bird populations thrive.

​

​

​

Thank you to:

​

Elsie Stanley for providing us with your experience and knowledge of birdwatching in the Valley, as well as aiding in editing.

​

Birgit Stutz for providing us with your experience with hummingbird feeding, as well as photos and editing.

​

Your contribution to the Living Stories project has been nothing short of valuable. You both set a great example of how truly important it is to conserve local wildlife.